There is no doubt that effective communication plays a pivotal role in promoting peace and security, trade and regional integration within the ECOWAS member states and beyond. The ECOWAS Commission believes that deepened regional integration begins with accurate communication of its messages to the target audience within the Community and globally.

It is in furtherance of this lofty objective that the ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Conference and Protocol organised a 3-day Specialised Trainings for Interpreters and Translators (STIT). The STIT, held on 4-6 November 2024, aimed to build language and communication skills through capacity building of multilingual staff and Community citizens in the specialised fields of interpretation and translation.

The program targets the youth, with experienced professional interpreters and translators as trainers. Multilingual youth from ECOWAS member states were selected to receive targeted basic training in interpreting and translation. The specialized trainings offer three prospects for the trainees: working with the Community as freelance professionals; continuing in formal training in academic institutions with ECOWAS’ financial support or serving as language interns within the language section of the Directorate of Conference and Protocol.

During the STIT sessions, trainees received practical and hands-on training on developing and maintaining interpreting and translating skills. They also observed and shadowed professionals at work and practiced their interpreting and translating skills at real-life meetings. In addition, trainees received related and relevant guidance on applying public speaking skills to interpreting, including how to market themselves to academic and recruiting institutions, particularly the ECOWAS Commission.

In her closing remarks at the end of the STIT sessions, the Director in charge of the Directorate of Conference and Protocol at the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh, thanked the Directorate of Human Resources, trainees and ECOWAS staff members for their commitment and dedication in ensuring the success of the training program.

Mrs. Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh said, “The Specialised Trainings for Interpreters and Translators (STIT) is part of youth empowerment and ECOWAS’ commitment towards regional integration and employment generation. There are so many potentials in the West African youth but there are no clear pathways for career progression. We have a role as ECOWAS to ensure that youths can make use of their potentials.”

Looking ahead in 2025, Mrs. Olukemi Robinson-Atabuh said that the Directorate of Conference Directorate, working in collaboration with the Education Directorate, already has provisions for scholarships for young West Africans as a way of contributing to succession planning in the Commission. At the end of the 3-day intensive Specialised Trainings for Interpreters and Translators (STIT), four trainees were awarded certificates for successfully completing their training exercises.

In 2024, the training sessions ran from March till November. Two trainees have been enrolled in university degree courses, one trainee is currently on the ECOWAS roster of Language Service Providers (LSPs), while two are members of staff being mentored for appropriate career progression/upskilling options in the ECOWAS Commission.